Luke 5:33–35

Luke 5:33-35 

English Standard Version 

  Jesus gives us a glimpse into the coming Kingdom of God -- it is to be a feast, one where we celebrate the presence of the Kingdom of God.  It's a helpful reminder for us in the church -- how do we celebrate more, giving thanks to the risen Christ for transforming our lives and giving us a reason to hope?  How can our lives be one long celebration of what Christ has done for us?  God is good, and we are the recipients of so much goodness, so much grace.  Jesus points out there that there is a time for mourning, and a time for fasting... we all know this reality.  But joy will still come in the morning, and there is hope that breaks like the dawn!

Luke 5:29–32

Luke 5:29-32 

English Standard Version 

  Remember, Levi's life has been transformed.  He has left everything, and what does he do first?  He hosts a banquet, practicing hospitality.  If we don't know what our next step is as a Christian, hospitality is a good place to start.  Who can you host for a meal, for a coffee, for a chat?  Who can you open your life to?

  Jesus goes in to Levi's, and everyone else wonders why he's spending time with the broken, but Jesus reminds them that's exactly who he has come for -- those who are broken in some way.  We all qualify for this, but some see it better than others.  So may we humbly remember that we are all broken, and give thanks that Jesus comes to us.  It's also a good reminder that when you see other people in the world who you are certain are broken, that we should be careful about judging them, because Jesus has come for them, too.

Luke 5:27-28

Luke 5:27-28

English Standard Version 

  This is a reminder in the way that Jesus sees.  Tax collectors were reviled in these days, as they were Jews who were seen as people who turned their back on their own community and worked with the invading army.  Most were corrupt, as they had Roman soldiers to enforce their collections, whatever they wanted to take, as long as they remitted enough to Rome.  

  Jesus saw that, but he saw through it to the man, and he called him, regardless of his status and the way he was viewed in society.  Jesus called him because he loved him.  As a response, Levi left everything -- his life was completely transformed.

  Jesus sees us in the same way.  He sees past all the warts and scars and bad choices, and he loves us, wanting to transform our lives so that everything centers around him.  We wouldn't be the top of the list if someone was making a list based on the world's standards, but that's not how Jesus sees.  He sees us as treasured and beloved creations that he knit together in our mother's wombs, and he loves us.

Luke 5:24–26

Luke 5:24-26 

English Standard Version 

  Extraordinary things.  We don't expect to see them very often -- in this jaded world, we are suspect of most things extraordinary.  

  But Jesus does extraordinary things to prove that he is not ordinary.  He has authority in a way we struggle to comprehend -- over life, over death, over brokenness.  Jesus has come to heal and restore in a way that doesn't simply bandage the wounds, but instead heals them completely, restoring us.  Jesus has come that we may glorify God, free from the bondage of sin and death, and restore us to hope and wholeness.

  So may the Holy Spirit help us to see in new ways, that the extraordinary ways that God is at work in the world will be apparent to us, even if it means that we have to go to new places to see where God is moving.